Ohio State has ranked first or second in the number of fellows each year for more than
a decade. Scholars are chosen for the award based on evaluations by fellow scientists, according to
a press release. Founded in 1848, AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society.

"Ingenuity and innovation are the hallmarks of Ohio State and represent the future of the 21st
century university,” President E. Gordon Gee said in a written statement.

The University of Michigan has the highest number of new fellows at 19, followed by the
University of California, Davis and Vanderbilt University, which have 17 new fellows a piece.
There are a total of 702 new follows this year. They will be welcomed at the AAAS annual meeting in
Boston in February.

November 29, 2012

Hilliard school board members have hired the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio to help
with their search for a new leader. Superintendent Dale McVey, who has been in Hilliard for 15
years, is retiring in June.

The ESC posted the position Thursday and board members are reaching out to parents, community
members and staffers to create a profile of qualities they'd like to see in the next
superintendent.

Application deadline is Jan. 29. The board plans to interview candidates starting in February
and vote on a new leader at its March 11 meeting.

About 200 students will receive diplomas at the ceremony, which will
be held at 11 a.m. on Dec. 15 in ODU's Alumni Hall.

Curtin, D-Marble Cliff, was elected to represent Ohio’s 17
th District in the Ohio House of Representatives in November. The district includes
parts of western and southern Columbus.

Curtin retired from The Dispatch Printing Company in 2007 after 38
years. He began his career with
The Dispatch in 1973 as a general assignment reporter. He spent the next 18 years
covering state and local government, public policy, and politics.

November 21, 2012

Soon-to-be college students and your parents, if you have any questions about planning for
college, picking a career or paying for school the state has a new web site just for you:
OhioMeansSuccess.org.

"Whether you are completing a one-year, two-year or four-year degree or certificate,
OhioMeansSuccess can help you find a faster, more efficient path to completion that will save money
and start you on your way to a promising career,"
Ohio Board of RegentsChancellor Jim
Petro said in a recent statement.

Why create the site? Because most of the fastest-growing occupations require at least a
bachelor's degree, Petro said, but Ohio remains in the bottom quarter of states in the number of
adults with four-year degrees. And that has to change if the state wants to be competitive, he
said. By 2018, nearly one million jobs will open up in Ohio that require at least college
credential, according to a Georgetown University study, which is one reason the state has
put such a premium on graduating more students.

The web site has tons of information to help students find out what careers appeal to them
and what programs are available at Ohio schools that cater to those careers. Students can also
compare schools that meet their personal interests and needs, find out about how to transfer
credits between schools and review financial-aid options. Veterans can also identify ways in which
their military training might count as college credit.

November 16, 2012

The two Beatty Park Elementary special-needs aides who were fired over the abuse of a child are
fighting the firing.

Frederick Harrison and Leslie Polk have appealed to the city's Civil Service Commission. The
hearing in the matter started this week but is far from over; both sides have many witnesses who
will testify. One of the children who the Columbus City Schools said was abused by the pair (and
the child's mother) testified on Wednesday.

Harrison and Polk, both longtime school workers, were said to have dragged a child into one of
Beatty Park's seclusion rooms, pinned him down in a way so dangerous that it could have killed him,
and then told no one. Harrison also is accused of physically abusing another Beatty Park child. You
can read the background on the incidents
here.

Beatty Park is the district's school for children with severe emotional or behavioral
disabilties. Michael Moore, a lawyer for Harrison, has said more detail will come out in the
hearing that will exonerate Harrison and show he was nothing more than a scapegoat for "the
district's own failings."

November 15, 2012

Columbus Superintendent Gene Harris denied yesterday that the district is interfering in a state
investigation of student-data manipulation.

It was a repeat of the same message that a lawyer for the district sent in
letters to the
state and made clear in a
story we wrote about allegations that the district was intimidating witnesses
for the state. Harris sent an email newsletter to remind the community that the district has bent
over backward to cooperate in the investigation.

"Neither I nor our outside counsel at Porter Wright is aware of any instance in which a
district employee has been intimidated by anyone acting on behalf of the district. That is
absolutely not our intention. The district has consistently encouraged cooperation with all of the
pending investigations,"Harris wrote.

Federal authorities are investigating now, and Harris said the district is cooperating with
them, too. The FBI confirmed to the Dispatch a few weeks ago that it was investigating the
attendance matter.

November 14, 2012

Many readers have asked in a response to a
story we did
Monday if
Ohio State's former parking director violated
state ethics rules when she joined the private company that assumed management of the
university's parking operation in late September under a 50-year lease agreement.

The answer is no, according to Paul Nick, executive director of the Ohio Ethics Commission.He
said Sarah Blouch asked the Ethics Commission in August if there would be a conflict of
interest if she accepted a position as president of
CampusParc. Lawyers for
CampusParc also inquired, which prompted the Ethics Commission to review the matter.

In early September, the Ethics Commission issued a private opinion letter saying it was OK for
Blouch to move to the private company because she was not involved in the decision to privatize the
system, did not participate in the negotiations with CampusParc and did not approve or sign the
contract. The commission also noted that Blouch was assigned to assist with the transition
team by her supervisor and that the project was clearly part of her public duties and
responsibilities as director -- and employment with CampusParc would not improperly influence
her.

Because of an exception in ethics law, Blouch is also not prohibited from representing
CampusParc before Ohio State or any other public agency on matters dealing with the management of
the parking operation in which she had personally participated as an OSU employee, the
commission said in its letter.

November 14, 2012

"Jungle Jack" Hanna will give the
commencement address at Ohio State University's fall graduation on Dec. 16, but the big mystery is
whether he'll bring any zoo animals along with him to entertain the crowd.

Ohio State officials said they don't know Hanna's plans, but at least
one campus spokeswoman said she was hoping he would. "Wouldn't that be so cooool?"
Amy Murray said more as statement than a question. About 2,800 students will receive their degrees
during the Dec. 16 ceremony that begins at 2 p.m. in the Jerome Schottenstein Center.

Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, has been taking critters to
media appearances since he was on
Good Morning America in 1983 following the birth of twin baby gorillas at the zoo. He
was director of the zoo from 1978 to 1993 and is credited for elevating its quality and
reputation.

Known for his khaki safari outfit, deep tan and Southern accent, Hanna has become one of
the most recognizable animal experts in the country. He and his animals are often on TV, including
regular appearances on
The Late Show with David Letterman,
Larry King Live,
The Ellen DeGeneres Show,
Hollywood Squares, and the list goes on and on.

November 13, 2012

Ohio's higher-education Chancellor Jim Petro will continue to beat the drum about
the importance of graduating more students at a conference focused just on that topic at
Columbus State Community College today.

He'll also unveil a
report that lists 20
recommendations on how the state's public college and universities can boost their student
retention and graduation numbers to help make Ohio more competitive in
a global economy while creating more financial opportunities for its
citizens. Earlier this year, Petro charged a task force of college and other
leaders to recommend practical ways that schools can increase their graduation rates.

Right now, less than half the students who enter an Ohio school earn their degree or
credential/ Thirty-seven states are ahead of Ohio.
Ohio's proportion of working adults with bachelor's degree also remains at the
bottom quarter of states at 26 percent compared with 31 percent for the U.S.

"Our focus is to increase the number of Ohioans who complete college. To ensure a
prosperous future, our students and our state need to see significant improvement in college
completion," Petro said in a written statement.